The Fox Scroll
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail
"…"
"…"
Naruto was currently dreaming and standing in front of Mavis Vermillion, the founder and first master of Fairy Tail. Not a word was being spoken.
Because she was pouting at him.
"…Um... Hi?" Naruto said awkwardly. Was she mad at him? No, she was obviously mad at him... But he couldn't think of anything he did that could make the spirit angry-
Naruto's eyes widened in realization. 'Crap! It's been weeks since the last time we spoke!"
As if hearing his thoughts, Mavis' pouting intensified. "Mumumumu… I've been waiting for you to come here for weeks! Why haven't you come!?"
Naruto backed up unconsciously while laughed nervously. "W-well… One thing led to another, and I… kinda forgot…" He mumbled.
"Fo… *Sniff!* Forgot?" Mavis sniffled, seemingly on the verge of crying.
Not being one to handle people crying, Naruto began to flail his arms around. "W-w-wait! Don't cry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't cry!" When the girl seemed to calm down a little, Naruto sighed in relief. "I'm sorry for taking so long to meet with you, I just got get getting caught up with things at the guild… But why didn't you just contact me again like this?"
"I'm not crying!" Mavis heatedly denied, wiping her face of all evidence. "And I couldn't contact you because that sneaky fox kept blocking me! It was so frustrating!"
While the little girl continued to rant about the Kyuubi, Naruto pondered in thought. 'It was the fox's fault? Maybe he couldn't block her this time since I tightened the seal…'
After settling down Mavis shook her head, a wistful look growing on her face. "He always did like to help others first…"
"Huh?"
"Naruto!"
Naruto instantly sat in the seiza style position. "H-hai!?"
Seeing how she had the boy's undivided attention, Mavis spoke with authority. "I'll look past you forgetting our meeting this time. In exchange…" Her eyes then shined brightly. "Would you tell me some stories of your adventures in the Elemental Nations?"
Naruto face faulted. He'd half-expected the spirit to make him go on a life changing dream journey or something along those lines… But a story?
"You want me to tell you… a story?"
Mavis nodded eagerly. "Yes! Preferably when you fought that guy with the piercings!"
'Guy with the piercings… Is she talking about Pain? How does she-wait… it's probably a ghost thing…' Naruto thought dismissively, then slightly shuddering at the thought that he was actually speaking with a dead person. "Sure, I guess… But there wasn't too much after that before I came here."
Mavis began to jump around in joy, and Naruto couldn't help but smile as well. There was something strangely magical about the happy little girl in front of him.
No pun intended...
The Next Morning…
Naruto could barely keep his eyes open. Mavis had kept him up all night with him talking about his past, and despite his body being "asleep", his mind had been awake until dawn. Needless to say, Naruto was mentally exhausted.
'I still have find Sakura-Chan later and make up with her…' Naruto thought, though the girl would more than likely punch him on sight. But he would gladly take the all too familiar blow, if it meant making up with his longtime friend.
Naruto turned to his left to look at Lucy, who was being strangely quiet this morning. Ever since they had left the apartment for the guild, the girl seemed to be in deep thought and hadn't said a single word.
"You okay, Lucy?" He simply asked.
It took a second, but Lucy snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh… No, not really. I've just had a lot on my mind recently…"
"You two, huh? Well, I don't know if I can help but…" Naruto trailed off awkwardly. He really was bad with these sorts of situations. "But if there's anything I can do, just ask!"
'You're the problem…' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop, but she couldn't help but smile. This was what she liked about Naruto the most. She was fully aware of what was on Naruto's mind, and he was still more than willing to help her out. Naruto had a bad habit of putting other before him, so Lucy had to make sure he didn't break himself down.
"Hey, um… Thanks for yesterday. You really saved me, ya know?" Naruto suddenly said.
"Of course. We're partners, aren't we?" Lucy said before hopping up onto the stone railing next to the river, earning some playful shouts from some men on a boat. "So? Did you respond to her feelings properly?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I asked if she could wait. I mean… Now isn't exactly a good time for me to be getting into that kind of relationship right now. I'm already bad enough with these kinds of situations as it is…"
Lucy's face remained neutral as she stared at the road ahead of them. "Is that so…"
"Well, yeah. I gotta find a way home no matter what. Back there I have my friends waiting for me… My promises, my dream." Naruto said with a longing face.
"Listen Naruto, it's rude to keep a girl waiting after they confess to like that." Lucy scolded and Naruto flinched at the girl's harsh tone. "But I understand where you're coming from."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You do?"
"It's like you said. You have all these things you have to do in your world, so finding a way back is your top priority and I'm sure Juvia understands that." Lucy stopped walking. "You'll come back... right?"
Naruto stopped and turned around. Lucy was looking at him with a stern look on her face, showing that she was asking him seriously. For that, he smiled. She was genuinely worried if he would come back, and it made him happy. "Of course I will! I promised to make sure you could keep having fun with everyone and not have to worry about a thing! and-"
"-I keep my promises, ya know?'" Lucy finished his sentence with a smile, adding the ninja's verbal tick to tease him. Because she was also happy. Happy that Naruto remembered the promise he made to her back when they were fighting with Phantom Lord. But he was Naruto, so of course he remembered. 'He always does…'
Naruto cleared his throat and put his hands behind his head, embarrassed that Lucy had used his infamous verbal tick. "Though I may not have a lot of time when I become Hokage… I'll be sure to visit you guys from time to time."
"Oh, of course Hokage-Sama. Make sure to not forget about us mages." Lucy said playfully and struck the nice man's pose. "To be Hokage is my dream, ya know? I'm going to make you happy Lucy, believe it!"
"H-hey now…" Naruto said and smiled bitterly. But now that he thought about it, he did sound kinda childish when he said those things. So he ended up laughing with the girl in the end.
Lucy stepped down and back to Naruto's side. "You better keep your promise…"
Naruto nodded. "I will."
As they began to walk again, Naruto looked at Lucy when an outrageous thought came to his mind. 'Does Lucy… No, that can't be true.' He thought and dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. Juvia aside, the thought of Lucy liking him that way was out of the question… right?
"Hm?" Lucy hummed at her partner's strange behavior, and Naruto blushed.
"N-it's nothing, ya know!" Naruto stammered, before he suddenly took off running. "Race you to the guild, Lucy!"
"H-hey! Watch out Naruto!"
Crash!
Having taken off so suddenly, Naruto failed to notice a man walking ahead of them and accidently knocked him down. "W-woah! My bad! I wasn't paying attention!" Naruto wailed and helped the guy up.
"Ow-ow-ow… No, it's okay. I wasn't really paying attention either." The guy said and when he was standing, Naruto and Lucy were able to get a full view of him. He was a lean built man with brown hear that was almost completely shaved. He looked to be maybe a few years older than them, but the scars on the left side of his face made him seem a little older.
Naruto blinked and tilted his head in confusion. 'I feel like I know this guy… Ah!' Bopping a fist in his hand, Naruto grinned. "Hey Mest! How have you been?"
Mest dusted himself off and grinned. "I was actually just on my way to the train station. I'm running an errand for the master."
"I didn't know you knew Mest." Lucy said as they waved goodbye to their fellow member.
"Yeah, though I can't really remember when… Maybe sometime in the guild?" Naruto said before shrugging.
Lucy hummed in thought before the two continued their walk towards the guild.
Fairy Tail…
Naruto poked his head into the guild and looked around suspiciously. When he supposedly found what he was looking for, he sighed in relief and stepped in.
Lucy watched on with an amused grin. "Are you scared of seeing Juvia now?"
Naruto stiffened at the mentioning of the water mage. "N-no… I just haven't figured out what to say to her yet, after what happened yesterday."
Lucy giggled and walked into the guild. Part of her was annoyed that Naruto was acting this way because of another girl, but she couldn't help but find it adorable that he was being so nervous. It was a whole new side of Naruto she was witnessing, and Lucy found herself envious of Juvia. "W-woah… That's a lot of people…"
When Lucy entered the guild and looked around, she found the entire bar was filled with people. It was like every member was gathered today.
A hand placed itself on the shinobi's shoulder, and they found Kakashi standing next to Naruto with what looked to be grin on his face. Though it was hard to tell with his mouth being covered up.
"Yo." Kakashi greeted.
"Hey Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto said before he nearly punched himself in the face. That's right, he hadn't told any of them he was back yet. "Um… Sorry I didn't tell you guys I was back yesterday." Naruto didn't bother trying to come up with an excuse either, because he didn't have one.
Kakashi did his trademark eye smile. "No worries. You seem to have a lot on your plate right now. Good morning, Lucy-San."
"Good morning." Lucy said with a wave. She was never really sure how to act around this man. He was Naruto's teacher, but it was sometimes difficult to take him seriously when most of his face was covered by a veil and headband. Not to mention his lazy demeaner.
Stricken with guilt, Naruto shook his head. "Even so, I should have remembered. You guys came all the way out here to help me and I feel like I've been ignoring you all…"
The jōnin chuckled. "Well if you're that bothered by it, go say hi to the others. Aside from Lee and Tenten who went on a job with Elfman, Yamato is in the library, Hinata is at the bar talking with Mirajane-San, and Sakura is… I actually don't know where she is." Kakashi said, tapping his chin in thought.
"That's okay… I'll go apologize to Sakura-Chan later." Naruto said and when his teacher raised an eyebrow, he stifled a laugh. "I kinda pissed her off yesterday."
"Ah. Well don't go on any jobs today, there's going to be an announcement as soon as everyone is here."
"Announcement? Is that why there's so many people here today?"
"You'll see." Kakashi eye smiled again before walking off.
Naruto crossed his arms. What announcement was that cryptic sensei of his talking about? Deciding he'd found out when it happened, Naruto turned to Lucy. "I guess I'm gonna go say hi to everyone then."
Lucy nodded and the two walked over to the bar. "I wonder what that announcement is going to be about."
"Yeah, Kakashi-Sensei looked pretty excited about it. I wonder if something happened." Naruto said as they walked up to Hinata and Mirajane.
Upon noticing the duo, Hinata stood up from her stool and bowed politely. "Um… g-good morning Naruto-Kun, and Lucy-San."
"Hey Hinata, and Mirajane! Sorry I didn't say anything when I came back yesterday…" Naruto said and scratched his cheek sheepishly while Lucy waved to the two girls.
Hinata's eyes widened a little before she shook her head. "N-no! Don't worry about it! You looked like you were busy… so…"
Seeing the gloomy look on Hinata's face, Mirajane clasped her hands together. "Oh, yes! I forgot to ask you yesterday Naruto-Kun, but how did the job go? I heard you found the skeleton of a dragon! That's amazing!" Mirajane said cheerfully.
Naruto grinned. "Juvia also became a dragon slayer, so now Fairy Tail has four of them!"
While Naruto and Mirajane talked about the events of the job, Lucy looked at Hinata. 'I think it's safe to assume she knows about what happened between Naruto and Juvia…' Hinata usually had a gloomy atmosphere to her due to how shy she was, but the girl seemed to be exceptionally gloomy today.
"Haha, oh! I almost forgot!" Naruto said and pulled out a scroll from his back pouch, and a familiar red cloth appeared with a "poof!". "I was gonna ask if one of you could patch this up for me. I kinda messed it up during the mission…"
"Sure, I don't mind-"
"A-ah, let me-"
Both Mirajane and Hinata put a hand on the tattered cloak at the same time, and they both looked at each other in mild surprise.
'Oh boy…' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop.
"Oh my, allow me Hinata-San. I can take care of it after work today." Mirajane said and made a move to pull the cloth out of the Hyuga's hands, but everyone was surprised when Hinata didn't let go.
"N-no… Please, allow m-me Mira-San." Hinata stuttered, a weld of confidence growing inside her. "You're so busy with work right now and I'm sure Naruto-Kun would want his cloak back as soon as possible."
"I don't need it that soon…" Naruto said in an attempt to keep the peace, but his words drowned in their debate.
"But you're our guest, I can't possibly allow a guest of Fairy Tail to worry about such a minor task."
"That's okay, I patched Naruto-Kun's cloak last time and I don't mind doing so again."
"Then… Shall we let Naruto-Kun decide?" Mirajane suddenly said and the two turned to Naruto, causing the boy to flinch.
"U-um…" Naruto said as the girl's stared at him expectantly, but he didn't get the chance to answer when someone snatched the cloak out of their hands.
"Sheesh, give it here. I'll fix it." Cana said with a rather impatient tone.
"Cana?" They all said at the same time, surprised that the drinker would take up the task.
"I got tired of you two fighting over something so stupid, so I'll just fix this thing myself." Cana said with a sigh when she noticed the looks she was getting. "What? Is it that much of a surprise that I can stitch clothes?"
Naruto scratched his cheek. "Well, kinda…"
Growing annoyed from their looks of disbelief, Cana scoffed and swung the cloth over her shoulder. "Well sorry for not acting as feminine as the other girls! I'll patch it up after the announcement. See ya."
"Thanks, Cana…" Naruto said with an awkward wave, that really surprised him. Who knew Cana knew how sow clothing? "Well, I'm going to go see Yamato-Taicho. Kakashi-Sensei said he's up in the library, right Hinata?"
At the mentioning of her name, Hinata recovered from her slight state of shock and turned to her crush. "Ah, yes! I-I'll take you to him!"
When the two left, Mirajane moved like she was about to follow them, but she was stopped by Lucy.
"Actually Mira-San, can we talk for a second?" Lucy asked.
Mira blinked, wondering what the blonde would want to talk about before smiling. "Sure, what is it?"
"AHHHH! Yamato-Taicho's a zombie!" Naruto screamed while pointing a finger at the man in front of him.
Yamato looked as though he would collapse any second. His face was drained of all life, giving him an undead look that unnerved Naruto to no end.
"…Those kids… Will be the end of me…" Yamato mumbled in a voice that was even lower than a whisper, and the two teenagers had to strain their ears to hear him.
When Naruto Hinata walked into the miniature library, they had found the man sitting at the table facing away from them. But when he didn't respond their callings, they had walked over to him and discovered the state the Anbu warrior was in.
"…They destroy… so much… I have to… fix it all…"
'Poor Yamato-Taicho…' Hinata thought as Naruto began to panic. She had already known the state their superior was in, but he seemed to have gotten worse since the last time she saw him. He was suffering from chakra deficiency, but how much furniture has the man fixed since coming here to put him in such a state?
"I'll go find Wendy-Chan or Sakura-Chan right now and-" Naruto said and was about to run off when Yamato grabbed his arm.
"That won't be necessary, Naruto. I'm fine… just a little tired." Yamato said with a tired sigh. "I swear… These mages destroy more furniture than what could fit in a feudal lord's mansion."
"Why don't you tell them to settle down? You know, with your scary face?" Naruto asked and scrunched his face in an attempt to copy his captain's trademark, and Hinata had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing.
Yamato shook his head. "You can't just be rude to people in their own home like that Naruto. Besides, this is the least I can do for them watching over you this whole time."
Naruto scoffed. "These guys? Come on, I'll tell them to settle down so you don't have to fix any more chairs."
Yamato was about to say Naruto didn't have to do anything, but the blonde was already out of the room and leaning over the railing.
"Hey guys! Yamato-Taicho is tired of fixing all the stuff you destroy! So think twice before you decide to start something, got it?" Naruto shouted out for all of the members present to hear, and some of them began to laugh and apologize.
"You didn't have to do that…" Yamato mumbled but he was relieved to hear them react this way and hoped this would stop the mages from needlessly destroying things.
"Uzumaki!"
Naruto looked down to see Gajeel glaring up at him. Boy, did he look angry.
"Hey Gajeel, what's up?" Naruto said and moved his when a bar stool aimed at his head. The chair hit the wall behind him and shattered into splinters.
"Don't give me that shit! Get your ass down here, you owe me a figh-" Gajeel clamped his mouth shut when he felt an ominous presence behind him. He cranked his head around slowly to find Yamato standing over him. 'When did he-!?'
"Didn't Naruto just tell you to stop breaking things?" Yamato said in a neutral voice. It was so neutral in fact, it caused a few of the mages standing around them to take a step back. But that wasn't what Gajeel was frightened of. It was because the lighting on Yamato's face changed and his eyes had become ghoul-like, giving him a ghastly appearance.
Gajeel gulped, beads of sweat were visibly dripping down his face. "A-ah… My bad…"
As if coming out of a trance, Yamato blinked and his expression returned to normal. He coughed into his hand. "Well, so long as you understand…" He hadn't meant to use his 'terror face', but something seemed to have snapped in him when the dragon slayer threw the stool. He really was tired…
Gajeel let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. 'Are these damn ninja monsters!?' He thought and looked at all the ninja currently present in the room. He then turned back to Naruto, pointing at him with a still shaking finger. "A-anyway, you still owe me a fight Uzumaki! Meet me at your training field after this announcement thing or whatever!"
With that said Gajeel scurried off, making sure to avoid Yamato's eyes as he did so.
Naruto sweatdropped. 'I can't help but feel sorry for the guy…'
"Master!"
"Make the announcement already!"
The crowd was beginning to get restless, it seemed they already knew what the master was planning on revealing and couldn't contain their excitement any longer.
Makarov, who was standing on the stage with Erza and Gildarts, raised a hand to calm them down. "As soon as all the members return, we will begin the announcement."
When some of the mages began to complain, the doors to the entrance burst open and three people walked in. Rock Lee and Elfman merrily walked into the guild, each with an arm slung around the other's shoulder. They appeared to be singing.
"We're back…" Tenten mumbled tiredly, but she knew her voice went unheard due to the boisterous duo and didn't care. The job they had gone on was a simple task, to find and subdue some bandits who were attacking a band of traveling clowns. They had found the bandits and subdued them no problem, that wasn't why Tenten was so tired. The reason behind her exhaustion was…
"We saved the day cause we are youthful men~!" Lee and Elfman cheered, and the guild cringed at their voices.
During the job, the two boys had befriended some of the clowns, which evidently lead to them picking up on some of their singing. Yes, the clowns had a singing act.
The problem was, Lee and Elfman did NOT have very good singing voices, and when the two sang together… Well, the guild was experiencing what Tenten had been listening to for the last three hours on the train.
As the two continued to 'torment' the unsettled guildmembers with their song, Tenten noticed Gajeel sitting at a table nearby. He seemed to be in a foul mood, what with his loud munching and some iron nuts and bolts.
"What's up with you?" Tenten asked, half-expecting the guy to ignore her. Despite having worked together for a couple days in Edolas, they hadn't spoken a word to each other upon their return. Tenten assumed it was just his personality and hadn't really thought much of it. 'Though he could have at least said hi or something…'
To her surprise, Gajeel glanced over at her. His eyes narrowed down on her for a couple seconds, as if he were sizing her up, before he closed his eyes and shook his head dismissively.
'S-somehow I feel like I've just been heavily looked down upon…' Tenten thought while smiling bitterly. She was about to walk away when Gajeel spoke.
"Your group is a band of monsters… Well, most of you anyway."
"Huh?"
Gajeel smirked. "But that only makes me wanna become a monster too, and surpass the lot of ya! Gihihi!"
Tenten was slightly confused, but she could only assume he was talking about Naruto and Lee. And judging by his trademark laugh, which she had become familiar with from their shared time in the other dimension, she could tell he was excited. 'Boys will be boys, I guess…' She thought with a shake of her head.
"It's impressive you can actually survive being around those two for so long… Keh! I'd go crazy if I was with them for more than ten minutes!" Gajeel said with a minor look of annoyance.
"You mean Lee and Elfman? They're not so bad, maybe a bit on the eccentric side…" Tenten said and they watched the boys in question dancing on a table. At some point in their conversation, Natsu and Happy had joined in their little cheer. "But I can see what you mean…"
"Yeah."
Makarov looked around the guild, and upon seeing all the members he was looking for, he stepped forward and raised his hand once again. "Alright, it seems everyone's here! In accordance to Fairy Tail's oldest traditions, I will now be announcing the S-Class mage advancement examinees!" He said and the guild shook with excitement as the crowd roared.
"S-Class mage… That's like Erza and Mira-Chan!" Naruto said and grinned. This sounded like a lot of fun to the blonde. 'Ah, but I gotta go to Tenrou Island to meet with Mavis…'
"This year's testing ground will be on Fairy Tail's holy ground… Tenrou Island!"
Naruto nearly fell off the railing.
Well… that was strangely convenient.
"Your power… hearts… spirits… I've been observing them all this past year. This year's participants are… Natsu Dragneel. Gray Fullbuster. Juvia Lockser. Elfman Strauss. Cana Alberona. Freed Justine. Levy McGarden. And lastly…" Makarov took a deep breath. "Naruto Uzumaki."
With the final contestant revealed, the guild cheered.
"So that's how the old man was gonna get me to Tenrou Island…" Naruto was grinning ear to ear. He was excited because he was not only going to participate in one of Fairy Tail's important traditions, but he was finally going to meet Mavis face in person! Or was it… in ghost?
"That's right." Kakashi said while walking up to the whiskered teen. "Makarov-Dono and I have been talking, and we arranged for you to take part in this test as a means for you to meet with this Mavis…" Kakashi leaned closer and whispered. "I even pulled some strings with Tsunade-Sama to make this count as your chunin exams."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Seriously!?"
The grayed haired man nodded. "Yup. I'll be watching over you during the test, so try your best Naruto."
'S-Class mage trials, huh…?' Lucy thought with wide eyes.
"J-Juvia is…?"
Lucy turned to her left and nearly jumped out of her skin when she found Juvia standing right next to her. "Juvia!? When did you get here!?"
Juvia looked at Lucy with a troubled look, but then clasped her cheeks and squirmed around. "Juvia was too shy to face Naruto-Sama so she snuck in…"
Lucy gulped. Juvia? Shy? This truly was a crazy day.
Gajeel was completely shocked. "Why wasn't I…"
'Serves you right for looking down on me!' Tenten thought with a snicker, and looked away innocently when Gajeel glared at her.
"S-Class mage trials… That's amazing, isn't it Charla?" Wendy said and looked at her feline friend to find her staring off into space with frightened look. "Charla?"
"N-no… It's nothing." Carla said and shook her head. 'What was that? For a second there I thought I saw…' In that instant, a series of images flashed before Carla's eyes.
Someone on their knees pleading to Naruto and Natsu…
A hand lying motionless in the grass…
An angry Naruto shrouded in what looked to be a golden cloak…
'W-what does all of this mean? Who was that person?' Charla thought and looked at Naruto, who hopped down from the second floor. She looked up at Wendy and saw the girl watching the blonde's actions with a certain gleam in her eyes. 'That guy is a magnet for trouble… I must keep Wendy away from him!'
"I'm definitely gonna become an S-Class mage this year!" Natsu shouted and began to punch the air around him.
"Don't worry Natsu, I'll be sure to make you an S-Class mage for sure!" Happy declared and the two cheered.
After the rules of the S-Class mage trials had been announced, and that the test would take place in one week, everyone was discussing their thoughts.
"I figured you two would be partners." Lucy said with an amused smile.
"Ah! Now's not the time to be talking! We gotta go train! C'mon Happy!" Natsu shouted and took off, with Happy flying behind him.
"Aye Sir!"
Lisanna watched the boy and the cat leave with a fond smile. "To think Natsu's in the S-Class trials already…"
"Oh yeah, you and Natsu were really close awhile back weren't you." Naruto said and the girl blushed and looked away bashfully.
"What are you saying, Naruto-San? We're still close!" Lisanna said while clasping her cheeks.
"I-is that so…" Naruto said with a sweatdrop, he then blinked in realization. "Wait, are you and Natsu…?" He trailed off while scratching his cheek awkwardly.
Lisanna blinked, before her blush returned and she clasped her cheeks in embarrassment. "Y-you don't have to say it out loud, sheesh…"
"So, he's finally learning… Took him long enough." Gray said with a smirk, earning a growl from the shinobi.
"Hey, I resent that!"
Lucy laughed at her partner's antics. 'So, even Naruto noticed? Although, Natsu and Lisanna have been hanging out with each other a lot since she returned.' Lucy decided to tease Lisanna. "You know, you and Natsu almost look like a family when you're walking around with Happy."
Lee gave Lisanna a thumbs up. "A perfect example of what a youthful couple should be!"
"They were the ones who found Happy's egg all those years ago after all."
Lisanna hid her face in her hands to cover up her embarrassment. "Well what about Naruto-San and Juvia? I saw them walking together through the park yesterday! Pretty suspicious to me…" She said to get the heat off her, and it worked as all the attention was now on Naruto and Juvia.
"WHHAATTT?" Lee shouted in disbelief, looking back and forth between the two. "I thought that surely Naruto-Kun and Lucy-San were a couple! But then again, the articles from the Weekly Sorcerer's magazine-Ooomf!"
"Oh, Lee-San! You must be hungry after your trip! Here, have some bread!" Lucy said and stuffed an entire loaf of bread into the green clad ninja's mouth.
Everyone watching this sweatdropped, aside from Naruto who was trying to stop Lucy from suffocating his friend. It seemed Lucy was still trying to hide the contents of the magazine from Naruto.
"So what is the deal with you two? Ever since you came back from your last job, you've both been acting strange around each other…" Lisanna said while glancing at Naruto suspiciously. Lisanna had decided she wanted to support her sister's love, but she hadn't been doing a very good job at it because she had been so distracted with Natsu and Happy…
Lucy sat down and joined the group in their staring at Naruto. She was curious to see what he would say to everyone. Even though she had agreed with Naruto's decision, the others might not be so lenient on him. After all, Naruto was being extremely selfish in making Juvia wait.
They were all looking at Naruto, expecting him to fill them in on the situation. But surprisingly enough, Juvia was the first to speak.
"There's nothing going on between Juvia and Naruto-Sama… Yet." Juvia said in a very proper fashion, and it was the truth. In Juvia's eyes, she pretty much had a claim on Naruto for when he was ready to for a relationship. So she was willing to openly deny them being in a relationship, for now that is.
"Oh~? Then why aren't you clinging onto him like you usually do?" Lisanna asked while looking at Juvia with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Juvia opened her mouth as if to say something before closing it. She then stood up from her seat and walked to the other side of the table where Naruto was and sat next to him, grabbing a hold of his arm like she always did in the process.
This of course caused Naruto's face to beam a bright red. "U-um… Juvia-Chan?" He asked and gulped when the girl looked up at him innocently. 'God, why does she look so cute all of a sudden!?'
When Juvia realized how close she was to Naruto's face, the memory of their shared kiss flash in her mind, causing her own blush to rise. "Uwawawawa!" She sputtered before letting go of his arm, and the two looked away from each other in embarrassment.
"Did he just say 'Chan?'"
"What a beast…"
"Ooooh! I am jealous of your youthful sparks of affection Naruto-Kun!" Rock Lee said while shedding manly tears, and everyone minus Elfman sent him odd looks.
As the suspicious stares returned to the duo, Lucy smiled bitterly. 'I was not expecting Juvia to cover for him like that, but I guess that's how Juvia is… Oh well, at least she's keeping her distance now.' Lucy thought and began to think of counter measures. Because she was seriously starting to fall behind her rivals. 'Great… I really am starting to sound like Juvia…'
"S-so anyways, who's your partner going to be Gray?" Naruto asked in an attempt to change the subject, and he was relieved when the ice mage pointed behind him with a thumb.
The person he was pointing to was none other than Lucy's trump card, Leo the Lion.
"It's been awhile guys." Loki greeted before turning to a surprised Lucy. "Sorry Lucy, but I'm gonna disband our contract for the duration of this exam. I promised Gray Last year that I'd be his partner if he made it to the trials. Ah, but don't worry! I'm here on my own accord, so I'm using my own magic to stay here."
Lucy nodded, but she was still surprised the spirit was here. "You sure are a self-serving spirit…"
"So who is Naruto-San going to have for a partner?" Wendy asked. "I would guess either Lucy-San or Juvia-San, but since Juvia-San is participating…"
Naruto shook his head. "Actually, I was gonna ask if you wanted to be my partner Wendy-Chan."
"…Eh? EH?" Wendy said in disbelief. She was sure Naruto would ask Lucy, so why was he asking her? Wendy glanced at the others and they seemed to be equally surprised, and it was to be expected. Naruto, Lucy, and Juvia were always going on jobs together, and since Juvia was already a participant, the obvious choice was Lucy. Or at least she should have been…
"Wait just a darn minute! Wendy isn't ready for this sort of thing!" Carla started, but Wendy picked the cat up to stop her.
"Wait Carla! Um, I'm happy you're asking me Naruto-San… But why me? I thought you would ask Lucy-San?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I was going to ask Lucy, but then I thought her and Juvia would team up since they're such good friends. Right?" Naruto said and looked at the two girls in question with a knowing grin.
Lucy and Juvia shared a look. Friends or not, they were rivals. They didn't really want to be on the same team. But to save face, they both strained a smile. "O-of course!"
Naruto's grin grew and he turned back to Wendy. "See?"
Carla was about to retort, but Wendy put a hand over her mouth. "Pmff! Ooomf!"
"I-I see… But are you sure I'm the best choice? I mean… I'm not that strong…"
"Hey, hey. Don't cut yourself short Wendy-Chan. I know you don't really like to fight, but you can do some really awesome stuff with your support magic! Plus, your sky dragon magic compliments my wind style chakra! So we make an ideal team!" Naruto said and did the nice guy's pose.
Wendy's eyes widened. Naruto believed in her, more than she believed in herself even. She was so surprised by the blonde's words, her grip loosened enough for Carla to slip free.
"Now listen here you beast! Wendy is not ready for this kind of thi-"
"No, you listen here cat!" Naruto snapped, cutting Carla off. "You're always criticizing everyone for putting Wendy-Chan in danger. But you know what I think? I think you're the only one who DOESN'T believe in Wendy-Chan's strength! I believe in my comrades to have my back as I have theirs. You treat Wendy-Chan like a helpless child instead of a wizard of Fairy Tail. Think about that."
Wendy felt a small amount of moisture welling up in the corners of her eyes. Naruto's words sparked a courage inside of her that she didn't even know she had. "I'm sorry Carla, but I'm going! Naruto-San, I would gladly be your partner. I'll do everything in my power to make you an S-Class mage!" Wendy felt bad for her friend, but she was tired of Carla always treating her like a child!
Feeling a mixture of betrayal and defeat, Carla growled and summoned her wings before flying off. If Wendy wanted to go with that beast, fine by her!
Naruto and Lucy were on their way back to their apartment for the evening when it had begun to snow.
"Wow, it's snowing!" Lucy said and put out her hand to catch a few snowflakes.
Naruto looked up at the cloudy and frowned. He never got to apologize to Sakura. But he wasn't going to let that beat him up too bad. He'd find a way to make up with the girl.
Seeing the sad look on her partner's face, Lucy let out a long and exaggerated sigh. "This test is going to be super hard! We might have to fight Erza, or even Mira-San!"
"I hope I get to fight the old geezer. I still owe him one for knocking me into the roof!" Naruto said and pounded his palm in excitement.
"You actually want to fight Fairy Tail's ace?" Lucy asked, shuttering at the thought of facing any of the S-Class mages.
Naruto shrugged. "You know what they say: "Go big or go home"."
Lucy sweatdropped at her friend's logic. They were complete opposites in this way. Lucy wanted to avoid fighting strong opponents at all costs while Naruto looked forward to them with a grin. 'Though I guess that's how most of the guys are in Fairy Tail…'
"I wanna start training for the test as soon as possible, but there's something I gotta do first."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to do?"
"I wanted to talk with Killer Bee-Ossan again before I left for Tenrou Island. You know, about this guy?" Naruto said and pat his stomach. He had already let Wendy know that he'd be gone for a couple days, and the little girl had told him she would train by herself until he returned.
Naruto had promised to help Wendy train for the trials, but after his quick trip to Lamia Scale.
"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot about!" Lucy said with wide eyes. The demon fox, the island, and the girl who claimed to be Fairy Tail's founder and first master from Naruto's strange dreams!
'So then that means Naruto will be fighting the demon within him soon…' Lucy frowned at the idea of Naruto doing something so dangerous. But he had explained that it was something that he had to do.
As they passed an alleyway near their building, Lucy faintly spotted something red in the corner of her eye. Wrapped up in what looked to be Naruto's sage cloak, was Cana. She was almost completely covered in snow with bottles of boozed scattered all around her. "What are you doing passed out here!?"
Naruto gained a bleak expression as he watched Lucy fish the brunette out of the snow. He was worried if Cana was okay, but the situation almost seemed fitting for the alcoholic…
Fairy Tail…
Makarov sighed as he leaned back in his chair. With the announcement finally out, the guild had been rowdy the entire day. "I must be getting old…"
"Saying that will only make it a reality."
The old man grinned at the other man in the room. "That it does… Thank you for agreeing to help with the test this year, Kakashi-San. With Mystogan gone we only have three S-Class mages left… I'm just glad Gildarts happened to be here this year."
"It's the least we can do for letting Naruto go to the Island. Though I still find it strange that he met this person through dreams…" Kakashi said and chuckled. "We truly are in another world."
"Mavis Vermillion was said to have worked in mysterious ways..." Makarov said before letting out a sigh. He had learned learned from Mest that the counsel was suspicious of them due to there involvement with the demons of the book of Zeref. So he had decided to alter the man's memories using his 'key' and have him convince the counsel that Raven Tail was a bigger threat. 'By giving Mest the coordinates Gajeel had gotten for me, he should be able to get the counsel off our backs for a little while. Can't have them finding out about Naruto and the others just yet...'
"Any word from Gale?" Kakashi asked, bringing Makarov out of his thoughts.
"No, and it's troubling. I have yet to hear from him since before the Edolas incident."
Kakashi rubbed his chin in thought. Gale Uzumaki was an elite shinobi that was handpicked by the third Hokage to watch over Naruto, the Jinchuuriki of the village's tailed beast. So it wasn't a surprise that such an independent ninja was out of their sights. "Did he ever mention how he came to Earthland?"
"No. The few times we spoke in person, he would only talk about Naruto or the Dark guild's movements."
"So we can assume that the Dark guilds are keeping a low profile. That is, if Gale is still out there."
Makarov hummed in agreement. While he wasn't exactly friends with the red-haired man, it was in his nature to worry. After all, the man was dealing with societies most notorious mages.
A man sat motionlessly atop a mountain peak, the wind whistling through his red hair.
Gale watched as the sun slowly fell beyond the horizon, the smallest of smiles on his war hardened face. "So, the time has finally come…"
A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
…Sorry, I just had to get that out. I really hate getting these chapter out so late. :(
My tardiness aside, this was quite a filled chapter if I do say so myself! I wanted to add more… but I felt like this was a good way to end it. That, and I didn't want to keep this to myself any longer. XD
So as always, leave a review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns!
Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!